Fred Hoiberg rightfully calls out refs after Nebraska's gut-check loss to Illinois

One thing that stood out in Nebraska basketball's loss to Illinois is that it was the worst the Huskers have played all season. Head coach Fred Hoiberg thinks he knows one of the reasons.

Hoiberg talked after the game about how well the Illini played, but he also thinks that Brad Underwood's team got a little bit of help from the officials. In particular, he feels that the way Illinois played and the way the referees allowed them to play is a big reason why the Cornhuskers struggled on offense, especially in the second half.

"They've got to let Pryce run. He's getting held, he's getting grabbed. You know, our offense, freedom of movement that's got to be enforced," Hoiberg said as one of the reasons Pryce Sandfort only scored two points in the second half for Nebraska.

Nebraska basketball’s offensive flow disappeared, and Fred Hoiberg believes he knows why.

"So I thought Pryce, with his movement, we run, I think, a pretty... aesthetically pleasing offense. But when you're being held, you can't run it. So we're going to continue to try to do it and cut with force and do everything we can to get these guys open and free them up. But it's tough at times when you're out there."

It's clear that the Nebraska coach didn't believe the refs were the only reason the Huskers lost on Sunday afternoon. He also went out of his way to talk about how good the Illini are after the loss.

However, one consistent issue in both of the Huskers' two straight losses is how often their opponents are getting to the free-throw line compared to Hoiberg's team. Against Illinois, NU was -17 in free-throw attempts. Against Illinois, it was -21. NU attempted just five free throws. It's safe to assume that if Sandfort wasn't being held, and fouls were being called, things could have been different.

One thing to keep an eye on with Hoiberg's admission is how future Nebraska opponents attempt to mimic the way the Huskers were slowed down on Sunday.